Kick up your heels! It's almost time for Shindig

Two celebrated mountain traditions occur in Asheville this summer as the Folk Heritage Committee announces schedules for Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the nation’s longest running folk festival.

The 52nd season of Shindig on the Green, a free event in the heart of downtown Asheville, takes place on Saturday evenings with a stage show and informal jam sessions. Kicking off on June 30, Shindig continues on June 30; July 7, 14, 21; August 11, 18, 25, and September 1.

Shindig on the Green returns to Pack Square Park’s Roger McGuire Green, and the stage show takes place on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage, named for the founder of the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Locals and visitors alike gather “along about sundown,” or at 7 p.m. for those who wear a watch. Bring a chair or a blanket for comfort.

Since 1967, hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the rich traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting.

The 91st Annual Mountain Dance and Folk and Festival, a ticketed event at A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center near downtown Asheville with a different show each night, takes place at 6:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, August 2- August 4. The sister event to Shindig on the Green, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Lunsford in 1928. The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival showcases the best of the region’s mountain musicians and dancers during its three evenings of indoor performances.

The two classic events are produced by the Folk Heritage Committee, a non-profit, all-volunteer agency with a mission to “preserve and present the musical heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains to audiences from throughout the region and world, for entertainment and education.”